What influenced the Romantic period?



The origins of the ideas of Romanticism date back to the French Revolution and the idealism of liberty, fraternity and equality that drove it. It also dates back to the pre-romantic movement that emerged in the 18th century.

Romanticism first emerged in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain.

It was so successful that it soon spread throughout the West, including the Americas.





It is considered the first cultural movement to cover Europe as a whole. Its heyday came later, approximately between 1800 and 1850.

The origins of the ideas of Romanticism date back to the French Revolution and the idealism of liberty, fraternity and equality that drove it.

It also goes back to the pre-romantic movement that emerged in the 18th century. This was opposed to the regulated and conventional world of the Enlightenment and the Neoclassicism prevailing in the art academies.

In this sense, it was also closely linked to strong nationalist sentiments, which saw enlightened cosmopolitanism as a threat.



Origin of the term Romanticism



The term “Romanticism” was first used at the end of the 18th century, when the literary critics August and Friedrich Schlegal wrote their Romantische Poesie (“Romantic Poetry”).

Thereafter, the name became popular in Europe and was taken up by the movement’s own artists. Even the English Romantic, William Wordsworth, claimed that they opposed “the romantic harp” to “the classical lyre”.

Exaltation of the individual

Instead of the rational, objective and logical world of the Enlightenment, romanticism exalts the individual and the subjective. Thus, genius, feelings and the whole unconscious world of the human being, such as dreams, instincts or mysticism, appear as values.

The aim was to express individuality through originality, which was valued more than tradition. For this reason, the unfinished, imperfect and open work was also preferred to the finished and perfect work.



Within the subjective experience, suffering and passions were also highlighted, which represented a powerful and overwhelming aspect of human nature. Fiery and uncontainable loves, tragic and irremediable stories are told, with the presence of supernatural or religious entities.

What are the three main influences of the Romantic movement?

It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, and the scientific rationalization of nature.

Imagination, emotion, and freedom are certainly the focal points of romanticism

What influenced Romantic literature?

The ideals of democracy and individual rights, which were the banner of the French Revolution, influenced romantic literature. During the French Revolution, several movements emerged, one of them being Romanticism.

Louis xvi (1754 – 1793) was the King of France, during the strong years that the country lived when the French Revolution broke out in 1789. Monarch for which, the French Assembly deposed him from office and he was sentenced to death. Executed with the guillotine and celebrated by the people who witnessed the execution and was the engine for the revolt that would change not only the course of Europe, but of the world in general.



Louis XVI, because of the pressures to which he was subjected, had to adopt a double-faced attitude. In public, he showed agreement with the National Assembly which declared equality among men, a fact that infuriated the king, and on the other hand conspired to form a counterrevolution.

In public, he wore on his hat a cockade with the colors of the flag of France, which symbolized the union of the monarchy and the nation, but then at a dinner at the palace of Versailles, which was to pay tribute to a military regiment, served as a front for discussions and plans to eliminate the revolutionaries from power.

He would be named for a short period of time as King of the French, dropping the title of King of France, since he now owed allegiance to the starving French people.

However, his strategy implemented to confront the revolution was in vain, since change was imminent and his fate was sealed. He could have fled much earlier, but he thought it was a cowardly and discreditable attitude for a king of a nation.

Who was the most influential person in the Romantic period?

The best known English Romantic poets include Blake, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Keats, Byron and Shelley. In America, the most famous Romantic poet was Edgar Allan Poe; while in France, Victor Marie Hugo was the leading figure of the movement. Here are the 10 most famous Romantic poets and their best known works.



What is the main feature of Romantic period?

Any list of particular characteristics of the literature of romanticism includes subjectivity and an emphasis on individualism; spontaneity; freedom from rules; solitary life rather than life in society; the beliefs that imagination is superior to reason and devotion to beauty; love of and worship of nature; and

What influenced Romantic poets?

In England, the Romantic poets were at the very heart of this movement. They were inspired by a desire for liberty, and they denounced the exploitation of the poor. There was an emphasis on the importance of the individual; a conviction that people should follow ideals rather than imposed conventions and rules.

Why was it called the romantic period?

The term ‘Romanticism’, as defined in this chapter, refers predominantly to the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century concept of an era informed by the profound experience of momentous political, social and intellectual revolutions. The term also has its own history, which calls for a short introduction.



What political events influenced the Romantic period?

The historical events which greatly influenced Romanticism were: The American Revolution (1775-1783), The French Revolution (1789-1799) and The Napoleonic Wars.

Who started Romanticism?

Romanticism in English literature started in the late eighteenth century, with the poets William Blake, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It continued into the nineteenth century with the second generation Romantic poets, most notably Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats and Lord Byron.

What were Romantics rebelling against?

Romanticism was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and also a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. Romanticism legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority, which permitted freedom from classical notions of form in art.

What happened during the Romantic period in literature?

The Romantic Period overthrew the values instilled during the Augustan Age and strove to sever itself from the rigid writing styles of the ancient, classical examples of Virgil, Horace, and Homer. Instead, poets and authors were inspired to write in their own individual and creative voices.

How did the French Revolution influence Romanticism?

This led to the “Liberalism in Literature.” The political liberalism of French Revolution inspired the liberation, individuality and rejection of prescribed rules in the Romantic Literature. The Romantic poets were inspired by the ideals of equality, fraternity and liberty.



What was the rise of Romanticism?

The Romantic movement saw people were turning against the social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and becoming preoccupied with nature, being fascinated with the past, of the mystic and supernatural, the unusual and fabulous, the strange and surprising.

What is the historical background of Romanticism?

Romanticism is the 19th century movement that developed in Europe in response to the Industrial revolution and the disillusionment of the Enlightenment values of reason. Romanticism emerged after the 1789, the year of the French Revolution that caused a relevant social change in Europe.

How did the Enlightenment influence Romanticism?

Romanticism had been a reaction to the excess of strict rationalism of the Enlightenment period just as The Enlightenment had been a reaction to a state and church overrun with ignorance. While the Enlightenment movement had thought faith and feeling distorted truth, the Romantics felt truth destroyed emotion.

What influenced Romanticism art?

With its emphasis on the imagination and emotion, Romanticism emerged as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789.

What influenced Romantic poets?



In England, the Romantic poets were at the very heart of this movement. They were inspired by a desire for liberty, and they denounced the exploitation of the poor. There was an emphasis on the importance of the individual; a conviction that people should follow ideals rather than imposed conventions and rules.

What is the most important inspiration of romantic music?

Romantic music was often ostensibly inspired by (or else sought to evoke) non-musical stimuli, such as nature, literature, poetry, super-natural elements or the fine arts. It included features such as increased chromaticism and moved away from traditional forms.

What political events influenced the Romantic period?

The historical events which greatly influenced Romanticism were: The American Revolution (1775-1783), The French Revolution (1789-1799) and The Napoleonic Wars.

What was the rise of Romanticism?

The Romantic movement saw people were turning against the social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and becoming preoccupied with nature, being fascinated with the past, of the mystic and supernatural, the unusual and fabulous, the strange and surprising.

What is the historical background of Romanticism?



Romanticism is the 19th century movement that developed in Europe in response to the Industrial revolution and the disillusionment of the Enlightenment values of reason. Romanticism emerged after the 1789, the year of the French Revolution that caused a relevant social change in Europe.

How did the Enlightenment influence Romanticism?

Romanticism had been a reaction to the excess of strict rationalism of the Enlightenment period just as The Enlightenment had been a reaction to a state and church overrun with ignorance. While the Enlightenment movement had thought faith and feeling distorted truth, the Romantics felt truth destroyed emotion.

What is the focus of romanticism?

Romanticism is a literary movement spanning roughly 1790–1850. The movement was characterized by a celebration of nature and the common man, a focus on individual experience, an idealization of women, and an embrace of isolation and melancholy.

Why is it called the Romantic Era?

The term ‘Romanticism’, as defined in this chapter, refers predominantly to the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century concept of an era informed by the profound experience of momentous political, social and intellectual revolutions. The term also has its own history, which calls for a short introduction.

What was the concept of romanticism?

Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. Travel to the turn of the 19th century to experience the Romantic musical, literary, and artistic movement.

Who started Romanticism?

Romanticism in English literature started in the late eighteenth century, with the poets William Blake, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It continued into the nineteenth century with the second generation Romantic poets, most notably Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats and Lord Byron.

What were romantics rebelling against?

Romanticism was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and also a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. Romanticism legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority, which permitted freedom from classical notions of form in art.

What are the 5 characteristics of Romanticism?

Terms in this set (5)

  • Interest in the common man and childhood.
  • Strong senses, emotions, and feelings.
  • Awe of nature.
  • Celebration of the individual.
  • Importance of imagination.